Method and apparatus for operating loading equipment for ships



Oct. 8, 1963 A H. THAETER 3,106,300

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOADING EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPS Filed May 22, I962 e Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HANS THAETER 77L Md 7% ATTORNEYS Oct. 8, 1963 Filed May 22, 1962 H. THAETER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOADING EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HA N: THAE Til? ATTORNEYS Oct 8, 1963 H. THAETER 3,106,300

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOADING EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPS Filed May 22, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIGS.

INVENTOR HANS 1714:7751? ATTORNEYS 3, 1963 H. THAETER 3, 06,300

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOADING EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPS Filed May 22, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR HANS THAETER BY a. fwd

ATTORNEYS Oct. 8, 1963 H. THAETER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOADING EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPS Filed-May 22, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 F'IG.7.

\ l I l I I \I I l g I I l '1 l FIG.9.

INVENTOR HANs THAETER BY 77; M4. 5:44

ATTORNEYS Oct. 8, 1963 THAETER 3,106,300

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOADING EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPS Filed May 22, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG.10.

INVENTOR A HAMS THAET'ER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,106,300 METHGD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOADING EQUIPMENT FOR SHHS Hans Thaeter, Bremen, Germany, assignor to Atlas-Works Aktiengesellschaft, Bremen, Germany Filed May 22, 1962, Ser. No. 196,733 Claims priority, application Germany May 26, 1961 6 Claims. (Cl. 212-58) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for operating loading equipment for ships.

For loading and unloading ships, there are known deck-mounted lifting gear, both in the form of lifting tackle, consisting of booms and winches mounted on the mast or posts, and as swivelling or tilting cranes.

With lifting gear, usually two winches and two booms operate one hook, one boom being located by means of guy ropes over the hatch, and the other boom being outboard. Both booms are held at the required overhang by suspension ropes.

Deck cranes may be swivelled through 360. erhang of the boom or jib may be changed with a substantially horizontal load path according to the requirements simultaneously with the other movements. A single deck crane is intended to replace lifting tackle with two winches and two booms.

Both devices have advantages and disadvantages. With coupled operation of two booms, there is one fixed plane,

in which the load may be moved, so that a straight operating line is given. This straight line may be changed only between ope-rations and without load by changing the overhang and the angle of the booms by means of the suspension ropes and guy ropes. Suspension of the load on two ropes prevents swinging. The accurately fixed position of the points for picking up and depositing the load may be a disadvantage, but it has been shown that this loading and unloading method cannot be ob tained with a crane with certain bulk materials, such as sugar bags, both as concerns speed and performance.

On the other hand, the crane is more advantageous, where piece goods are to be stored. Since the crane, by its swivelling and tilting movement, covers an annular surface, the load can be picked up and deposited both outboard and within the hatch at almost any point. However, it depends on the experience of the operator to counteract swinging of the load, and to combine the various movements of the crane in order to shorten the operation.

To obtain the advantages of a crane where there is insuficient space for such a crane, for example, at the heavy load boom, there has already been suggested a swivelling and tilting loading boom, ope-rated by a drive and mounted on the mast or posts, and having a swivelling range of about 120. This swivelling and tilting mast crane requires no special foundation and no crane column. The lifting gear is an ordinary loading winch, such as is provided for ordinary lifting tackle arrangements.

Due to the entirely different properties of loading tackle, crane and mast crane, these lifting devices are frequently arranged side by side on board the same vessel. It is an object of the invention to reduce the increased expenditure and to combine simultaneously the advantages of loading tackle and crane.

According to the invention, with the use of two cranes or loading booms with rotary drive acting on the base support, the crane or loading booms:

(a) Are individually operated with suspendedload;

(b) Are run in coupled operation with common load hook without guy ropes, whilst there are provided against 3,106,300 Patented Oct. 8, 19,63

ice

the horizontal component of the load pull, rigid jibs and in the direction of the load pull, adjustable rope I pulleys.

In the operation of loading gear with two load booms with rotary drive acting on the base support and two loading and suspension winches, the operation may be such that (a) In operation as mast crane, one of the two booms is tilted by the suspension winch belonging to the other boom and its load rope is actuated by its own loading winch; and

(b) For operation with lifting tackle, i.e., with load ropes coupled by the load, both booms are adjustedby the suspension winch belonging to the other boom and both load ropes are actuated by the loading winch of the own boom.

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a mast crane assembly with two loading and suspension winches, one loading boom not being shown;

FIGURE 2 is a plan of the embodiment of FIGURE 1, but omitting the loading booms;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic View of the arrangement for guiding the ropes with coupled or mast crane operation;

FIGURE 5 shows a loading equipment, consisting of two board cranes in coupled operation;

FIGURE 6 shows a loading equipment with two mast cranes with loading winches and hydraulic tilting devices, in coupled operation;

I FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the head of the crane jib of FIGURE 5;

FlGURE 8 is a plan of the head of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 shows another embodiment of a mast crane arrangement; and

FIGURE 10 is a diagrammatic view for coupled operation with load booms, mast cranes or cranes in yet another embodiment.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 4, the usual two load booms, located side by side to the starboard and port of the hatch are replaced by two mast cranes, that is, load booms 1, 2, with swivelling drives 3, 4 on the base supports 5, 6. The booms I, 2 of the mast cranes are suspended from suspension ropes 7, 8. The jib 1 'or 2 differs from ordinary load booms in that it has a power driven support and is'sufiiciently rigid to counteract lateral forces caused by the load, such as listing of the ship, or swinging of the load. Each mast crane has a combined loading and suspension winch 9', 10 with load rope drum 9a, ltla, suspension rope drum 9b, ltib, and common drive motor 9c, for the load and suspension drums 9a, 9b and 10a, 1%. The load ropes L1, 12 pass over load blocks 13 under the corresponding jib as usual with load booms. high traction in the suspension rope 7 or 8 may be effected without difiiculty at the suspension drum 9b or 1% of the combined winch. This simplified rope guide of the mast crane makes possible the coupled operation, or lifting tackle "operation, with load ropes coupled by the load, although this will eliminate the possibility of a horizontal load shift.

The rotary drive for the supports of the load booms comprises a linearly moving piston drive with transformation of the linear piston movement into a swivelling movement of the jointed carrier.

For this transformation, a rack (not shown) connected to the piston of a linear piston drive 22 engages with a gear 16 on a joint carrier shaft 17. A joint support 18, with its two pivot pins 19 for the lower forked end of the The consequent relatively a boom 1 or 2, is connected with a driving shaft, the joint carrier shaft 17 passing through its bearing, and carrying at its lower end the gear 16.

The drive is eifected by two pairs of coaxial piston units 22, parallel to each other and symmetrical relatively to the shaft 17.

In order to transform the linear movement of the piston units 22 into a rotary movement of the joint carrier, one, and preferably two piston units actuate through their piston rods a lever arm (not shown) on the joint carrier shaft 17, the piston rods being connected with the lever arm through a swivel pin and the piston units being located pivotably about axes parallel to the shaft 17.

According to the side towards which loading is to be effected, the appropriate boom, for example, boom 1 is adapted to mast crane operation, whilst the other boom 2 remains in the inoperative position. The combined winch 9, located in front of the operating boom 1, works as a lifting winch for the load, with the suspension drum 9b disconnected and ratchet-locked. The combined winch 10 in front of the inoperative boom is used as a suspension winch for the boom 1, its load drum 10a being disconnected and locked by a ratchet.

Between the two winches is a common control stand 14 with a right-hand lever 14a for controlling the lifting of the load, and a left-hand lever 14b for controlling the tilting. In the centre of the control stand, there is a horizontal handwheel 140, for controlling the mast crane rotating drive 3, 4. Only one power source and control member for the rotary drive 3, 4 are provided and these must be switched to the operating boom.

As shown in FIGURE 4, it is also possible to work with both booms 1, 2 and winches 9, it in coupled operation as with usual loading booms. To this end, the booms 1, 2 are moved into the required angular position successively by means of their rotary drives 3, 4. The required overhang is then adjusted by the winches 9, 1% through the appropriate suspension drums 9b, 1%. After locking the ratchets of the suspension drums and coupling the load drums 9a, Illa, coupled operation of the booms 1, 2 as with the usual loading booms is possible. Both winches may be operated by two operators, or they may be operated by one person, because both operating levers 14a, 1412 are mounted side by side.

Referring to FIGURES 5, 7 and 8, the coupled operation of two deck cranes as shown in FIGURE may be carried out if, as shown more clearly in FIGURES 7 and 8, they are equipped with rope pulleys 23, 24 located at the ends of jibs 25, 26 and adjustable in the direction of the load pull.

Referring to FIGURE 6, mast cranes may be provided with a hydraulic tilting device 27 instead of suspension Winches. To enable the jibs Z8, 29 to be used coupled without guy ropes, they must be sufiiciently rigid. In addition, there are provided pulleys 31, 32 to guide the load rope 30 and head pulleys 24 adjustable in the direction of the load pull, as is usual with load booms and mast cranes, similar to the arrangement of FIGURE 5, whereby during tilting in individual operation a considerable horizontal movement of the load is made possible. The jib is operated by the hydraulic tilting device 27, acting at a short distance from the pivot on the jib 28, 2?.

For the coupled operation of two mast cranes in the sme way as coupled loading tackle, the usual lifting rope guide of ordinary deck cranes is unsuitable, because the head pulley at the end of the jib cannot be adjusted according to the slope of the lifting rope in coupled operation. To this end, there may be used conveniently a rope guide arrangement, as shown in FIGURE 9. Here, a lifting rope 33 passes vertically upwardly from the deckmounted drum 9a of a loading winch 9, and passes over a pulley 34, located at a certain height on the mast. From here, the lifting rope 53 runs to a fixed reversing ulley 35 at the end of the jib 37, and from here back to a second pulley 34 on the mast, located adjacent to the first pulley 34'. From here, the lifting rope 33 passes substantially vertically to a fixed pulley 36 at the lower end of the jib 37, and from there under the jib to the jib outer end, carrying a movable and adjustable pulley 38, similar to that used with loading tackle of ships. This movable pulley can always follow the slope of the rope from this point to the load hook. The height of the pulley block on the mast above the pivot of the jib has a predetermined ratio to the jib length, in order to provide a horizontal movement of the load.

The large distance between the winch drum 9a. and upper block 34, 34 on the mast has also the advantage of deflecting the rope 33 only negligibly during the winding up on the drum, so that the winding up is better than with conventional tackle, where the drum is comparatively near the first load block on the base support.

As shown in FIGURE 10, the two booms 1, 2 may b mutually supported by a link rod 39, which may have a fixed length or whose length may be adjustable, for example, by a hydraulic unit 40. With coupled operation, there occurs, according to the angle between the load ropes and the vertical, a horizontal pull which is absorbed in conventional loading tackle by guy ropes. Mast cranes, however, work normally without guy ropes and the oblique pull must be absorbed through the rigid jib by the rotary drive of the base support.

The rotary drive of a mast crane is usually designed for a 5 list, usual with deck cranes. The horizontal component caused by the sloping pull of the load with coupled operation, however, exceeds the force of the sloping pull. If, therefore, coupled operation is to be possible with two mast cranes without guy ropes, the rotary drives of both mast cranes must be very sturdy so that the torques can be absorbed in coupled operation.

In order to avoid having to design the rotary drives larger only for the case of coupled operation, the two jibs are supported in coupled operation by the link rod 39. This rod would have to absorb the smallest force if it were to connect the tips of the jibs. However, the distance is too great and since the link rod must be designed to resist buckling, structural ditficulties would result. The rod is, therefore, conveniently mounted in the lower third of the jib, so that the jibs 1, 2 are stressed in bending and the rotary bearing of the jibs must absorb lateral stresses. However, these forces may be easily taken care of by suitable structural design of the constituent elements.

I claim:

1. A loading device comprising first and second load booms arranged at spaced locations from each other, first and second means supporting said load booms adjacent their bases for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, for raising and lowering said booms, and for pivotal movement about a vertical axis for shifting said booms angularly, first and second combination loading and sus pension winches having separately driven loading and suspension drums arranged adjacent corresponding first and second load booms, first and second suspension rope guide pulleys arranged adjacent the upper ends of respective ones of said first and second load booms, a first suspension rope carried by said second suspension drum and guided through said first suspension rope guide pulley and connected adjacent the upper end of said first load boom, a second suspension rope carried by said first suspension drum guided by said second suspension rope guide pulley and connected adjacent the top of said second load boom, first and second load guide pulleys carried by said first and second load booms adjacent the top ends thereof, first and second load cables carried by respective first and second loading drums extending through said respective rst and second load guide pulleys for suspending a load at the end thereof, and control means for operating said combination loading and suspension winches and for permitting independent selective operation of the respective loading and suspension drums.

2. A loading device according to elaim'l, including a booms.

3. A loading device according to claim '1, including a mast centrally disposed between said first and second load booms, said first and second suspension nope guide pulleys being carried by said mast.

4. Loading device as claimed in claim 2,wherein the link rod is adjustable in length.

5. Loading device as claimed in claim-1, wherein the booms always form par-t of one deck crane each with a separate crlane column. a

6. Loading device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each boom is mounted a post and there are provided three reversing pulleys, the first at the upper end \of each boom,

the second on the post at the level of :the upper end of the boom, and the third near the lower end of the boom, each of said three pulleys carrying the load rope.

I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,502,667 Gray July 29, 1924 2,562,086 Farrell July 24, 1951 2,637,447 Holmes et al. v May 5, 1953 2,717,701 Pitman et al. Sept. 13, 1955 2,961,102 Pitman Nov. 22, 1960 v FOREIGN PATENTS 226,324 GreatBritaqin Dec. 24, 924 

1. A LOADING DEVICE COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND LOAD BOOMS ARRANGED AT SPACED LOCATIONS FROM EACH OTHER, FIRST AND SECOND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID LOAD BOOMS ADJACENT THEIR BASES FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID BOOMS, AND FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS FOR SHIFTING SAID BOOMS ANGULARLY, FIRST AND SECOND COMBINATION LOADING AND SUSPENSION WINCHES HAVING SEPARTELY DRIVEN LOADING AND SUSPENSION DRUMS ARRANGED ADJACENT CORRESPONDING FIRST AND SECOND LOAD BOOM, FIRST AND SECOND SUSPENSION ROPE GUIDE PULLEYS ARRANGED ADJACENT THE UPPER ENDS OF RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOAD BOOMS, A FIRST SUSPENSION ROPE CARRIED BY SAID SECOND SUPENSION DRUM AND GUIDED THROUGH SAID FIRST SUSPENSION ROPE GUIDE PULLEY AND CONNECTED ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID FIRST LOAD BOOM, A SECOND SUSPENSION ROPE CARRIED BY SAID FIRST SUSPENSION DRUM GUIDED BY SECOND SUSPENSION ROPE GUIDE PULLEY 